The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for exercising a dog. More particularly, present invention relates to a hand held apparatus that propels an object for the dog to chase and retrieve.
Typically, an owner will exercise his/her dog by throwing an object, such as a tennis ball, for the dog to chase and retrieve. However, repeating the throwing motion may cause the thrower's arm to become fatigued and/or sore.
Additionally, a distance that the dog has to run to retrieve the ball is limited by the owner's throwing ability. If the owner cannot throw the ball a significant distance, the dog may not get the desired amount of exercise during the exercising time.
To overcome the issues associated with the owner having to throw the ball, some dog owner's have employed slings to propel balls for the dog to chase and retrieve. Slings allow the ball to be propelled a significant distance while not stressing or fatiguing the owner's arm. However, most of the slings are designed to use a single ball because of the inconvenience in carrying multiple balls to a park or a field where the dog is being exercised. Additionally, the ball has a tendency to become wet with dog saliva over time which makes touching or gripping the ball undesirable.